What a weekend it was for women’s lacrosse.

The 29-team field is down to the Elite Eight after the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament went down on Friday and Sunday. For a snapshot of all the action, we’ve put together this handy rewind of the talking points.

BEST GAME
Loyola vs. Hofstra

This one had all the drama you’d expect in the NCAA tournament.

Loyola led by four goals with just 12:37 to play, but Hofstra came alive in its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2007. Seeking the program’s first tournament win, the Pride staged a spirited comeback.

Grace Langella, Katie Whelan, Alyssa Parrella and Jackie Gatti all scored in a four-goal run that tied the score at 9 as head coach Shannon Smith cheered and fist-pumped on the sideline — her reactions to play-by-play were a frequent focus on the ESPN3 broadcast.

Loyola’s Elli Kluegel scored the winner with 1:40 left to play, though, as Loyola hung on to win 11-9.

Kluegel scored four goals, freshman Sydni Black had three goals and Livy Rosenzweig had one goal and four assists, moving into first place in Patriot League history in career assists.

Loyola lost to Syracuse in the second round 20-8.

BIGGEST SURPRISE
Florida vs. Jacksonville

Florida beating Jacksonville isn’t the surprise. The manner in which the Gators did so was unexpected, though.

Two months after losing to the Dolphins 12-11, the Gators got revenge with a 17-3 victory. Jacksonville held an 18-6 advantage on draws in the first game, but Florida won 15 of 22 draws on Sunday.

Florida jumped out to a 4-0 lead and led 10-1 at the half. Brianna Harris’ first of three assists gave Florida a 7-1 lead and gave her 200 career points. She is just the 10th Gator to hit that milestone.

The Gators haven’t been tested by a top-flight contender in awhile, but they seem to be peaking at the right time with a combination of stout defense and blink-and-you-miss-it offense. They play No. 3 Syracuse in the quarterfinals.

WINNING STREAKS COLLIDE
Stanford vs. Denver

Denver entered on a 15-game winning streak. Stanford entered undefeated at 11-0. Something had to give.

With the score tied at 12, Eliza Radochonski scored back-to-back goals and lead Denver to the 15-13 win. Radochonski and Bea Behrins each scored five times.

Stanford never led, but the Pac-12-champion Cardinal were tied with the Pioneers seven times.

Denver ran into the Northwestern buzzsaw in the second round and lost 19-4 — snapping its 16-game winning streak.

THE COVID EFFECT
UMass vs. Temple

Down seven players due to COVID-19 protocols, UMass fell to Temple in a 14-13 first-round thriller. Caitlyn Petro, UMass’ star on the draw, was inactive. Kelly Marra, Stephanie Croke, Olivia Muscella and Alex Finn, who combined to score 141 goals this season, were among those who did not play.

Temple went on to lost to Boston College 21-11 in Sunday’s second round.

BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE
Taryn Ohlmiller, Stony Brook

Joe Spallina calls Taryn Ohlmiller his QB1. When she’s playing well, the Stony Brook offense flows significantly better than when she’s not at full speed. She was QB1 this weekend.

She followed her seven-point performance in the first round against Towson with four goals and eight assists in a big win over Rutgers, passing Courtney Murphy for the most points in an NCAA tournament game in program history.

Ohlmiller also became just the third player in NCAA tournament history to net 12 points in a game. She was one off Katie Rowan’s record of 13, and her eight assists tied the former Syracuse great for a single-game high.

NUMBERS

8

Charlotte North continues to do Charlotte North things. The walking highlight reel scored eight goals, breaking Boston College’s single-game NCAA tournament record, in BC’s 21-11 win over Temple.

89

Izzy Scane scored eight goals, giving her a Northwestern single-season record of 89, and added three assists as the Wildcats routed Denver 19-4

3

The Florida defense held Jacksonville, the sixth-ranked offense in the country, to just three goals on 17 shots in the second round.

1-8

The eight seeded teams have all advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals, making this bracket somewhat chalky up to this point.

227

The number of assists Katie Hoeg has accrued over her illustrious UNC career. She moved into second place in NCAA history in career assists on Sunday.

NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse Championship

2nd Round Scores
Boston College 21, Temple 11
Duke 13, Maryland 12
Florida 17, Jacksonville 3
North Carolina 14, Stony Brook 9
Northwestern 19, Denver 4
Notre Dame 13, Virginia 8
Stony Brook 20, Rutgers 8
Syracuse 20, Loyola 8

Quarterfinals, Saturday, March 22 (All games on ESPN3)
Stony Brook at North Carolina, 12 p.m.
Duke at Northwestern, 1 p.m.
Florida at Syracuse, 2 p.m.
Notre Dame at Boston College 3 p.m.